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There’s a world where Dick Grayson is captured by the Crime Syndicate, dies, and comes back, but stays dead to the world, and joins a super secret spy organization made up of agents who legally do not exist. A world where the only other person privy to this information, and Dick Grayson’s only link to life outside Spyral, is the Batman. There’s a world where Bruce Wayne gets amnesia, leaving Grayson on his own, eventually helping to drive the man into returning to Gotham and revealing himself to his family.
There’s a world where, when Dick Grayson meets his family on the rooftops of Gotham City, Barbara Gordon flees from him, Jason Todd punches him in the face as Tim Drake looks on, and Damian Wayne is the only one to respond with the simple joy that his brother is, indeed, alive.
In other worlds, Dick Grayson has more siblings and more history, but that doesn’t always change much. In a few he doesn’t keep his survival a secret, and that tends to change a lot. In some worlds, Dick Grayson never even dies, but then we’re moving on to vastly different universes, so we’ll stop there.
In this world, Dick Grayson is captured by the Crime Syndicate, dies, and comes back, but stays dead to the world, and joins a super secret spy organization made up of agents who legally do not exist. The only other person privy to this information, and Dick Grayson’s only link to life outside Spyral, is the Batman, and eventually, Bruce Wayne gets amnesia.
Here, Dick Grayson is older brother to four siblings. There is no brutal showdown in a Batcave, but Dick, confronted by Batman so soon after being tortured, killed, and rescued, is still in a haze of shock and emotion, and trusts his father to tell him what comes next. For the months that follow, he spies and spies on spies and keeps his mind busy on the case, always the case, because he can’t afford to let his emotions take over right now, or he might just die again .
‘Malone’ is the voice in his ear, the voice that just barely helps him hold onto Dick Grayson instead of devolving into nothing but Agent 37. The voice that whispers that he’s doing the right thing, doing what’s necessary, even when he sees Tim’s tearful face on the news, Jason punching a reporter in rage, even when Damian— Damian is brought back from the dead.
He doesn’t have the time or the privilege to process, to feel, to think. He just. Keeps. Going.
And then that voice is...gone.
It’s a shock, and Dick freaks out. Batman is missing. What happened, is everyone okay, where did he go —
Bruce Wayne reappears just as his children all disappear. Dick has no idea what’s going on. His family is a master of keeping the truth out of the public, and there’s literally no source to tell Dick what the real story is.
And just like that, he starts to flounder.
He’s no longer sure he’s doing the right thing, not with only his judgement to trust. It doesn’t feel like the right thing anymore. Does his family need him? What’s going on with Bruce? He’s alone now. Completely, utterly alone, he can die again and no one will know, they all already think he’s dead, he was supposed to be able to finish this, to go home. He’s scared. He is very scared, actually. And that reminds him of other things he’s trying not to think about, and that scares him worse.
He’s stuck, stuck, stuck.
It’s the next time he sees the news that does him in. For the first time in a while, Timothy Drake is back on the screen. Dick watches Tim shake hands with Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne smiles like he would at a stranger and Tim smiles back.
It could’ve been scripted, acted, but Dick sees the strain in Tim’s smile, the way he tugs at his sleeves, and knows it’s wrong, wrong, all wrong. The cameras follow Dick’s little brother to his car, and there’s someone already sitting in the passenger seat. A very small someone with spiky dark hair.
Damian.
Dick picks up the comm that hasn’t received a transmission for a month, turns it on, and holds it to his lips.
“This is Birdwatcher to the Nest,” he whispers. “I’m coming home.”
The Batcave is still the first place he goes. He still meets Alfred, still goes to see Bruce in the minutes he has before the man returns to the manor, and Alfred goes up to him. Dick gets to work figuring out where he’ll be able to find his siblings, until Alfred returns. Dick wants to be filled in.
He learns that Alfred has not told Bruce about Batman, which he understands. He also learns that Alfred has not told Bruce about his children, which he does not understand.
Dick Grayson has a temper, even if he’s usually pretty good at keeping it under wraps.
Dick storms out of the Cave, the words “I can’t believe it, you’re just like him,” echoing in the silence he leaves behind.
In this world, Tim Drake was a Robin. In fact, he has a very long history with Robin.
Tim is proud of his career. He doesn’t consider himself as a lesser, or less appreciated, Robin. This means that although he comes to see Jason Todd—a man he has a very complicated history with—as family—as a brother—he's still that angry brother who you have to watch your step with sometimes on the occasion that you don’t have the emotional, mental, or physical capacity to deal with a pummeling. This means that the pair don’t bond quite enough to label their literal half of the Robin gang as the “misfit Robins”. (Although in this world there were actually five Robins, but that’s besides the point.)
In this world, Tim Drake’s story is also intrinsically tied to Dick Grayson’s. From Tim’s first memory which coincided with one of Dick’s greatest traumas, to a childhood of watching over a certain acrobat as much as a child could from a mansion away, to an obsession with Robin, a stint as Robin to Dick’s Batman, and years of mentorship and brotherhood.
It’s this Tim Drake who crouches by the edge of a building next to the Red Hood, when he hears the soft, barely perceptible thump of someone landing behind him.
He finds himself facing a man in a t-shirt and cargo pants with a pair of escrima strapped to his back, and...no face.
Red Robin opens his mouth, but the words fade unformed as the blur resolves into blue eyes, a small, tired smile, and a soft “Hey, Cindy,” when Tim take an unconscious step forward.
In this world, Tim Drake moves first.
Jason turns around to see a man with a blurry face, which turns into Dick’s face, staring at his younger brother, and saying in his dead brother’s voice: “Hey, Cindy.”
Which must mean...something to the Replacement, who shoots forward even as Jason reaches out to snag him. Kid moves fast.
Next thing Jason knows, Tim is wrapped up in—the man’s arms. Jason does the only thing he can think to do. He pulls one of his guns out of its holster, and points it at the man’s head.
“Who the fuck are you,” he growls.
The guy gently lowers Tim—who Jason hadn’t realized had thrown his arms around the guy’s neck, the guy had caught him—then takes his hands off the younger boy to raise them placatingly. “It’s me, Little Wing.”
Tim hasn’t let go. “It’s him, Red,” he agrees, then pulls away just the slightest bit to look up at Dick, whose hands drop back to Tim’s shoulders. Shit. Dick. “How are you alive?”
“Yeah,” says Jason. “How are you alive?”
Dick’s face goes blank, then he turns away from their stares, frowning.
“Well, when--” he pauses, starts over. “After the Crime Syndicate, I went undercover. There was a—a fake body, and...”
Jason feels his hand holding his gun drop as he gapes. “You were alive this whole time?”
“I--yeah?”
Jason takes in a deep breath, pulls off his helmet, but before he can start, Tim catches his eye. Well.
Not now, Tim mouths, and Jason very near scoffs. Something in his body language must give it away, because Tim scowls and mouths think.
Jason wants to scoff again.
But. Jason thinks.
Dick had been captured by the Crime Syndicate, no question. He was unmasked, and the event broadcast. Who knew what shit went down between those events, and after. Tim staged a rescue, got sidelined with a time travel mess, got back, and by then everyone already ‘knew’ that Dick was dead. There was already a ‘body’ and there’d been an autopsy.
You can’t do an autopsy on a fake body, duh.
Bruce. That—that bastard.
Dick laughs. It’s wet. “I’m sorry. I should have told you—it took me this long to figure out I should have told you. I’m sorry.”
Tim steps forward again, squeezes, and Dick can’t help that his own arms tighten in response, holding Tim a little closer. Jason stands frozen for a moment, before he moves forward purposefully. Dick eyes him warily, but Jason just throws his arms around Dick’s shoulders.
Tim, now stuck between them, huffs and elbows Jason before settling back against Dick.
Jason is taller than Dick. Dick is staring just right above his shoulder, Jason’s chin pressed against the side of his head. Tim is hugging Dick. Dick is hugging back. Jason holds them.
“Aren’t you mad?” Dick whispers. “I lied. I faked my death.”
“A little?” Jason offers, ever the honest one (which is pretty much a lie), while Tim says “Maybe later.”
Jason huffs something like a sigh. “I’m glad you’re alive, Goldie.”
Dick presses his forehead against his taller little brother’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispers.
“So, how have you two imbeciles messed up badly enough for Oracle to call in me and Black Bat--”
Dick’s head jerks up, and Jason shifts, one arm sliding more firmly around Dick’s back whilst the other drops to Tim’s shoulder as Jason moves aside, allowing Dick a view of two figures—one all in black, the other in a colorful uniform.
“Grayson,” Damian breathes, then glances at Cass, and back at Dick. “You’re alive?” He screeches, and then he’s flying at Dick, who holds on to Tim with one arm and uses the other to catch his littlest brother. Damian’s really too big now (did he get bigger?), and moving too fast, for Dick to really catch him and hold on with the one arm but no matter because in the next instant Cass slams into them both, arms wrapping around Dick and pressing Damian against his side.
“Missed you, too,” Dick huffs, then, “How are none of you angry?”
Cass lifts her face to look at him, worried frown pulling at her lips. “What...happened?” Dick grits his teeth together, preparing himself, but Cass shakes her head. “Later.” She contemplates her hands for a moment, then decides to leave them where they are, instead says, “Brother,” like that explains everything, then, “Safe?”
Dick smiles, ruefully, remembering something he needed to talk to them about, says, “Not yet,” but Jason derails him. “Yeah, I’ll leave off being angry ‘til I actually know what the fuck is going on.”
“Whatever it is you did that you feel deserves anger,” Damian says, “You know it was stupid?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I don’t see the point in repeating the sentiment.”
“Tim?” Dick asks before he can stop himself, his brother’s silence grating his insides. He reprimands himself the instant after.
But Tim just presses closer and mumbles, “I’m just really, really glad you’re alive.”
“As much as I’m enjoying watching this reunion remotely,” a voice says drily in Dick’s ear—through the Birdwatcher comm—and apparently everyone else’s comms, as well, because they all startle except Cass, which leads to some floundering as Damian slips down Dick’s side and ends up half-sitting on Cass’s shoulder and Tim’s elbow ends up in Jason’s ribs again. Dick can’t help the laugh.
“O,” he says warmly.
“Dick,” the voice greets, and the synthetic voice makes the tone hard to read. Which makes the fact that Babs manages to get ‘dry’ and ‘sarcastic’ and ‘unimpressed’ across all the more impressive. “Could I interest you and your entourage with some tea and cookies? The Clocktower is currently open for business, and I couldn’t help but notice you storming out of the Batcave earlier.”
Dick coughs a little as his siblings all turn curious eyes towards him. “That’s a good idea, I’d love to.” Jason and Cass start to pull away first. Dick lets Damian slide down, but Cass catches him so he’s sitting on her shoulders, and the two promptly starts squabbling.
“I would, too,” Barbara says, somehow softer.
Jason is goading on Cass and Damian now. Tim’s pulled away, but his fingers brush Dick’s. He seems especially reluctant to pull away. “ETA fifteen minutes,” Tim says, “probably thirty if these guys don’t quit it.”
“Aye aye, Boy Wonder,” Oracle says. “See you then.”
“Anyone got a spare grappling gun?” Dick asks, and Tim is immediately pressing one into his hands. But Dick’s voice also seems to have caught the attention of the other three, who are now watching him.
Dick smiles. It’s a little forced, and careful, and hopeful. “Race you guys there?”
There’s only a moment’s hesitation, then Black Bat is jumping off the side of the building.
“Oy!” Jason yells, stuffing his helmet over his head. Damian shoots a glance back at Dick, who grins and readies his grapple gun, before he shoots off. Dick aims, shoots, and jumps, feeling the old elation at swinging through the air as he feels more than hears Tim jump next and Jason is still yelling over the comms, now.
He can’t wait to see Barbara, but he also knows that they’ll be talking business, and likely more, before the night is over. The thought fills him with a panicky dread after all these months, but for the moment he shoves it away.
But for right now, he’s home, swinging between Gotham’s skyscrapers. His siblings’ laughter and teasing is still a bit strained, but they’re trying, and they’re here, and he’s here, even if he is yet to figure out what’s going on with Bruce, and how he feels about Alfred.
But he can believe, again, that maybe everything will be okay one day.